All about Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis

. Among vaccine-preventable diseases, pertussis is one of the most commonly occurring ones in the United States.

Teens and adults need to be revaccinated, even if they were completely vaccinated as children. Pertussis vaccines are not 100-percent effective. If the disease is circulating in the community, there is a chance that a fully vaccinated person can catch it

Symptoms

The disease starts like the common cold, with runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and maybe mild cough or fever. But after one or two weeks, severe coughing can begin. Unlike the common cold, pertussis can become a series of coughing fits that continues for weeks. Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. In infants, the cough can be minimal or not even there. Infants may have a symptom known as "apnea." Apnea is a pause in the child's breathing pattern.

Complications

Pertussis is most severe for babies; more than half of infants younger than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. About 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia and about 1 in 100 will have convulsions. In rare cases it can be deadly, especially in infants

Transmission

People with pertussis usually spread the disease by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others, who then breathe in the pertussis bacteria. Many infants who get pertussis are infected by parents, older siblings, or other caregivers who might not even know they have the disease.

Prevention

Babies are most vulnerable before they can have their first vaccine against pertussis at two months of age. Children are not fully protected until they have received the complete course of vaccination by age 7.

The CDC recommends a single pertussis booster for any adult aged 19 to 64 who is in close contact with a baby, particularly parents, grandparents, babysitters and healthcare workers who work with infants.

Adults who didn't get the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccine as a pre-teen or teen should get one dose of Tdap instead of their next regular tetanus and diphtheria (Td) booster vaccine. Most pregnant women who were not previously vaccinated with Tdap should get one dose of Tdap postpartum before leaving the hospital or birthing center. The CDC also recommends the Tdap booster vaccine to protect adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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